State Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, is shown on his first day as a House freshman on the opening day of last year's session.

Advisers to Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, have known since last year’s GOP primaries that he had a “Tarrant County problem.” Two Straus allies, Reps. Vicki Truitt, R-Keller, and Barbara Nash, R-Arlington, were defeated, and several other Republican-leaning House districts in the Fort Worth and Mid Cities areas elected very conservative freshmen.

But on the eve of Tuesday’s election for speaker in the Texas House, Straus’ tea party-backed challenger, Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, can point to only two or three members from the Tarrant County delegation who publicly are supporting the insurgent, according to this story Friday by Dave Montgomery of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Zedler was one of the 15 Republicans who voted against Straus two years ago, even after his two opponents had withdrawn. In the May 29 primary, Krause beat Nash. On Friday, he issued a statement saying he’d known Simpson, “a man of principle and character,” for several years, “since before either one of us were in the Legislature.” Klick, a former chairwoman of the Tarrant County GOP who won Sen.-elect Kelly Hancock’s old House seat, told Montgomery her constituents are wary of Straus.

Montgomery, though, was unable to elicit any other GOP newbies in the county delegation — or anyone else, for that matter — who said he or she plans to vote against Straus. Veteran Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, will sit the race out, as usual. And Reps.-elect Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth, and Jonathan Stickland, R-Hurst, hadn’t signaled a preference as of late Thursday, while Rep.-elect Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, could not be reached for comment. (Capriglione upset Truitt, who was an influential committee chairwoman.)

To make a race out of this thing, Tarrant County’s delegation, which has 8 Republicans and 3 Democrats, has to all but secede from Team Straus. By now, Simpson has needed to have more of those young bulls in his stampede. The fact they won’t be counted for him is telling, if not especially surprising. A freshman playing the “outside game” may be able to make his or her mark, as Simpson did. But the more likely outcome is two wasted years, with lousy assignments and little to no ability to pass anything. It’s not all THAT different from the life of the average freshman, mind you — just bleaker.